Sugar by any other name is sugar.

Evaporated cane juice, is a popular ingredient in the clean label and natural foods movements. But as yesterday’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance points out (and rightfully so) sugar by any other name is still sugar.

This issue has been building for a long time; in 2009 the FDA issued a recommendation, but clearly that wasn’t enough because NPR was still reporting on evaporated cane juice in 2012.

It’s now 2016, What do you think?

Food and Drug Administration Guidance

The FDA’s view is that the term “evaporated cane juice” is false or misleading because it suggests that the sweetener is fruit or vegetable juice or is made from fruit or vegetable juice, and does not reveal that the ingredient’s basic nature and characterizing properties are those of a sugar.

Should evaporated cane juice be considered sugar or is it juice?

Hopefully you did not have a Las Vegas wager on this ingredient naming. FDA’s guidance is their approach to making rules. Your food—or supplement–labels should adhere to the rules or you risk FDA action or worse, a lawsuit. The FDA has said juice is misleading and the result of evaporation is basically crystalline sugar….not something you pour into a glass as a beverage

About author

A technologist, with patents in data technologies, Philip joined Knowledge Bank in 2016, to focus creating software tools, like ReviewQ.com, to revolutionize the label regulatory review process. But Debra is the real expert on regulations. Philip blogs about food and dietary supplement labeling regulations.